Crazy Love
by Hiroakki
Summary: Echizen Akia and Akiko, older twin sisters of Echizen Ryoma, despite being twins, are very different from each other. Everything from the way they look, to the way they dress, and to the person they fall for. Despite being so different, they get along very well and always help each other out, while taking care, in their own way, of their dear younger brother. Follows main story.
1. Home Sweet Home

**I finally started writing a Prince of Tennis fanfic! I've been wanting to do that for a while now! So I'll post the first chapter and see how people react to it. If anyone likes it, then I'll keep writing :D**

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Chapter 1: Home Sweet Home

"Aren't you excited, Ryoma?"

"Why would I be excited…"

"We're finally going back home to Japan, silly!"

"What's exciting about that?"

"Hehe, Akia-nee, you're always so energetic."

Akia sighs at her younger brother's lack of excitement. Akiko giggles as she watches her siblings' contrasting personalities. Ryoma has always been the most cool, indifferent, and unenthusiastic of the three siblings. Akia, who's a year older, is, on the other hand, is the cheerful, positive, and even annoying one. People usually think she's much younger, even though she's taller than him. Akiko, Akia's younger twin sister, is the sweet fragile and caring one of the three. She does her best to take care of her brother and sister in any way she can. Even though the three of them are so different, they always get along pretty well.

"But man, this plane ride is taking forever!" Akia says with a loud sigh.

"Nee-chan, you're really noisy…"

"Eh! Akiko, say something to that kid!"

"Well… I kind of agree with Ryoma on that part."

"Aaah! Not you too!"

The friendly bickering between the three of them continues. When the plane finally lands, Akia jumps up from her seat and dashes to the exit. Ryoma take his sweet time, while Akiko tries to keep an eye on both of them.

The siblings have some similar physical features. All three have dark black hair. Akiko's hair is cut short, while Akia's is very long. Their eyes are the same shade of brown. That's about all their share in terms of appearance. Akia is very voluptuous compared to her twin, Akiko, who has a more delicate figure. She is voluptuous in the sense that she has a chest and a butt that are more developed than most girls her age. In no way is she fat, on the contrary, she's a very healthy girl. Akia, just like Ryoma, enjoys playing tennis and is very good at it. Akiko would play too, but she's always been bad at sports and activities that use too much of her energy. She often gets sick due to her health being weaker than most. Even then, she always tries her best to take care of the people around her.

"Dear, wake up already. We've arrived."

Rinko, the three siblings' mother, tries to wake her husband, Nanjirou, up.

On their way home, Akia couldn't stop gasping in awe at her surroundings. Japan is so different from America.

The family finally arrives at their home, which is located right next to the temple where Echizen Nanjirou will be working.

They all unpack, and, exhausted from the long trip, they go to sleep.

The next day, Akiko is the first one to wake up.

"I can't believe this… Ryoma is supposed to go to a tennis tournament today."

Akiko then goes into Akia's room first.

"Akia-nee, wake up. You have to help me wake Ryoma."

No response.

"Come on, Akia-nee… You know I'm not as good as you when it comes to waking him up… I can't use the cruel tricks that you use…"

"Who's cruel?" Akia retorts.

"Ah! You're awake!"

"My methods are not cruel… You know it's the only way to get that kid to wake up."

"Well… Spraying perfume into his nostrils or putting ice cubes in his shirt are pretty cruel methods, don't you think?"

"It's not like he ever learns his lesson anyway."

"You're also hard to wake up…"

Akia ignores her sister's statement and heads to Ryoma's room.

"Akia-nee…! Wait, don't be too harsh this time!" Akiko says, knowing that her twin will still do whatever she likes.

Akia abruptly opens the door leading to Ryoma's room.

"Ryoma! Wake up!" Akia shouts.

The longer Ryoma stays asleep, the worst Akia's methods get. Akiko just stand in the door frame, a little concerned about what Akia has in mind this time. Seeing that Ryoma didn't wake up from her shouting, she goes back to her room.

"You're giving up, Akia-nee…?" Akiko asks, a little surprised, "or are you going to…"

Akiko then realizes what her sister is up to when the latter comes back into Ryoma's room with her music player.

"The method is not as creative as my other ones, but it's just as effective."

Akia grins creepily as she carefully puts her headphones on Ryoma.

"Now for some good morning rock…"

She puts the volume on maximum and presses the play button. Not even a second later, Ryoma wakes up screaming. On reflex, he takes off the headphones. When he comes to, he realizes what his sister just did.

"NEE-CHAN!"

"Hahaha, it works every time!"

"Akia-nee… You're too harsh…"

Ryoma gets up while glaring at Akia.

"Hey, you should thank me, Ryoma. At least now you won't be late for your tournament."

"Whatever."

After he gets ready, Ryoma eats breakfast and leaves for the tournament.

"Hey, Akiko, you want to go around the neighbourhood?"

"Yeah, I think that'd be good for us to familiarize ourselves with this place. We won't have as much time when we start school tomorrow."

"Second year of Junior High… We're going to be transfer students too."

"I hope I'll be able to adapt to it."

"Don't worry about it. It'd be nice if we're in the same class, though."

"Now that I think about it, we haven't been in the same class since Kindergarten."

"Haha, true. Hey, how about we follow the road to Seigaku? Like that we can find all the cool spots between our home and school."

"Sounds like a plan."

After agreeing to the plan, the girls get ready and head out after notifying their parents.

"Akia-nee, you didn't take your racket with you?"

"Yeah, I just feel like exploring today. Besides, I'm still kind of jet-lagged."

"Same here. It's amazing that Ryoma can participate in a tournament the day after we arrive."

"That kid is just crazy… But his skills are worth mentioning. I still remember when I used to beat him easily before. Now, he puts up more of a fight that I don't have any guarantee that I'll win anymore."

"Hehe, it's fun watching you two have a match."

While chatting, the two pass by a few shops along the way to Seigaku, their new school.

"Man, I'm glad today is a Sunday or we would've had to start school the day right after we arrive…" Akia sighs while looking at some accessories.

"You said it. Should we keep going?"

"Yeah."

Akia puts the accessories back and the twins head out of the store. After a short walk, they find a park with a few tennis courts.

"That's convenient. Now I regret not bringing my racket…"

"I had a feeling you'd feel that way if you saw anything that relates to tennis."

"It doesn't seem like anyone's playing there today anyway."

The girls keep walking and they finally spot Seigaku in the distance.

"That must be it. Now we know exactly how to get there," Akiko says enthusiastically.

"There's a nice cafe over there. Wana go?"

"Eh? But I didn't bring any money…"

"What?! Why didn't you?"

"Well, you didn't either."

"True…"

"Let's go somewhere that doesn't require us to spend money."

Akia starts looking around for a while and then she spots something. She then grins widely.

"Found it."

"Found what?"

"Our destination! A place that doesn't require us to spend money, while still being extremely entertaining!"

"And that is…?"

"A pet shop!"

"Haha, that's so like you."

"Let's go!"

Akia then drags Akiko towards the pet shop. They enter it and start looking at the various pets that the store contains.

"It's much bigger than I thought! Now I'm pumped! Let's go look at the cats!"

"You always spend all of your time looking at the cats…"

"Because they're adorable."

"But we already have Karupin. Wouldn't you want to look at other pets?"

"Nope!"

"Then I'm going to look at the bunnies."

"Sure, I'll come see you when I'm done."

Akia heads to where the cats are. There aren't many people in the store, which gives her enough space to fully observe the various cats the store carries. Akia then spots a completely white cat that stares at her.

"Aw, aren't you the cutest? So fluffy!"

Akia crouches to have a better look at the cat.

"I want to take you with meeee!"

The cat meows at Akia.

"You like cats?" A cheerful male voice comes from Akia's right side.

She then turns her head abruptly towards the source of the voice. What she sees in front of her is a boy who looks around her age, or maybe a bit older. His hair is a reddish brown and curls at the sides. He's also crouching and has a smile on his face. When Akia looks at his eyes, she thinks of how he kind of resembles a cat.

"What's not to like? They're so cute and fluffy and adorable!"

"Haha! I know how you feel. I wish I had a cat."

"Do you have any other pets?"

"I do have a dog and parrot. What about you?"

"I have a himalayan cat. But for some reason he really clings to my little brother. I feel left out."

"Eh, you have a little brother?"

"Yeah, a little brother and a twin sister who doesn't look anything like me. Do you have siblings too?"

Judging by his outgoing character, Akia figured that he probably has a few siblings.

"Yeah, I have two older brothers and two older sisters."

"Eeeeh! That's a big family! You're the youngest?"

"Yup, it's tough sometimes when I get teased."

"So that's how Ryoma must feel, huh."

"Ryoma?"

"My younger brother. I'm the one who teases him all the time since I'm the oldest."

"Aah, you should be more considerate! But it is fun to tease people."

"By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh, I never introduced myself. I'm Kikumaru Eiji, 3rd year at Seigaku."

"Seigaku?! That's where I'm going starting tomorrow. My name is Echizen Akia, by the way."

"Really?! What year?"

"2nd year."

"So I'm going to be your senpai, huh. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask me."

"Hehe, that's one lucky encounter. Thank you, Kikumaru-senpai."

Akiko, who was wondering why Akia was taking so long, starts looking for her twin. She then finds her crouching in front of the cats, right next to a guy. They seemed to be having a pleasant conversation. Akiko felt bad about interrupting, but it was getting late.

"Akia-nee…"

When Akia hears her sister's voice, she stands up. Kikumaru Eiji also stands up.

"She's your sister, Echizen-kun?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll be going then, Kikumaru-senpai. I'll see you at school?"

"Sure thing."

She waves at Kikumaru and leaves with her sister.

"Akia-nee, who was that?"

"Oh, that was Kikumaru Eiji-senpai. He also goes to Seigaku."

"Senpai? So he's a 3rd year?"

"Exactly."

"You two seemed to really get along."

"Well, he is very friendly."

"Just like you."

"Hehe, yup, just like me."

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 **So, was it enjoyable? If anyone liked it, please tell me in the reviews or follow or favourite. XD**

 **Thank you to whoever reads this!**


	2. First Day

**So I updated right away, because I wanted to assure you guys that I will be continuing this story, thanks to you who followed and favourited!**

 **I'm glad you enjoy it :D**

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Chapter 2: First day

"So Ryoma, how did it go? What did you win?" Akia asks her brother, fully certain that he probably won the whole tournament.

"I didn't enter."

"What?! Why?"

"That's really unlike you indeed, Ryoma," Akiko adds, just as surprised as her twin.

Akia is genuinely surprised by that. Her brother never misses a chance to play tennis.

"Someone gave me the wrong directions so I ended up being late," Ryoma says nonchalantly.

"At least you don't seem too bothered about it," Akiko smiles at him.

"I don't really care."

The next day, the three of them wake up and get ready for their first day.

"Akia-nee, I'm a bit nervous."

"It'll be fine! Come on let's go find the faculty room."

The two of them start wandering around the school, not really knowing how to get to the faculty room.

"Man, if I had Kikumaru-senpai's number, I could just ask him."

"Akia-nee, you just want his number for your own personal reasons," Akiko teases her sister, remembering just how much Akia was talking about Kikumaru when they were on their way back home.

"N-No! What are you saying-"

"Ah! Ryoma-kun!"

A female voice calls for Ryoma. The three siblings look at who the owner of the voice is. They find a girl with two long braids running towards them. She has a smile on her smile and only looks at Ryoma. Akia nudges Akiko and whispers to her.

"I think Ryoma's made a new friend yesterday."

Akiko giggles while Ryoma glares at them.

"Ryoma-kun, thank you for your help yesterday. I still really feel bad about giving you the wrong directions…"

"Oh! So you're the one who gave him the wrong directions!" Akia exclaims.

"A-Ah! Yes, I'm so sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," Ryoma casually says.

The girl then turns to the twins and gives them a polite bow.

"M-My name is Ryuuzaki Sakuno. I'm a first year," Sakuno stutters.

"Nice to meet you, Sakuno-chan! I'm Echizen Akia, Ryoma's older sister, 2nd grade."

"I'm Echizen Akiko, Akia-nee's twin sister. Nice to meet you, Sakuno-chan."

"Ah! Same here, Echizen-senpai…" Sakuno stops, not knowing how to call them.

"Call us by our first name, it's less confusing, haha," Akia laughs.

"A-Alright! Akia-senpai, Akiko-senpai!"

"By the way, Sakuno-chan, do you know where the faculty office is?" Akiko asks her.

"Yes, it's right this way."

Sakuno then leads the three siblings to the faculty office.

"W-Well, I need to get to my class, so I'll see you later," Sakuno smiles before leaving for her class.

Akia then gives Ryoma a teasing look.

"Hehe, cute isn't she?"

"Shut up…" Ryoma sighs.

"Let's just get this over with, guys," Akiko says while knocking on the door.

A voice from inside tells them to come in. After that, the first grade teacher talks to Ryoma, while the second year teacher explains things to the girls, including what classes they're going to be in. It turns out the two of them are in the same class, for the first time in forever. The twins then follow their teacher to their class, while Ryoma does the same with his teacher.

"Alright, I'll tell everyone about you two, and I expect you to introduce yourselves to them right after. Now, follow me."

The teacher then opens the classroom door and the girls follow her inside. Akiko was very nervous, while Akia was extremely excited about getting to meet so many new people.

As soon as they come in, they start hearing the curious students' whispers.

"We're having transfer students…?"

"Didn't you hear? They just arrived in Japan from America…"

"Are they sisters…?"

"Man, the girl with the long hair is hot…"

"I'm more into the second one…"

The teacher then puts her books down on the desk with a big thud, to get everyone's attention.

"Enough chitchat. We're having transfer students today. Now, you two, please introduce yourselves," the teacher says with an authoritative voice.

Akia, who's not as nervous as her twin, introduces herself first.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Echizen Akia. Let's get along this year."

"You got it, girl!" A bunch of male students start enthusiastically answering her.

Akia giggles at the energy that the class has. Some girls glare at her, though. She's used to that, so she doesn't really bother. Akiko's heart then jumps in her chest when she realizes that it's her turn to introduce herself.

"U-um… My name is Echizen Akiko… Nice to meet you…"

A few guys here and there whisper the word "cute". Akiko then blushes of embarrassment.

"So there are two seats right next to Momoshiro-kun there that are empty."

The guy called Momoshiro waves at them with a wide smile. Akia then drags Akiko to the seats, since she knows her sister won't move an inch from being too nervous. Akia then takes the seat next to Momoshiro, and Akiko takes the one right next to Akia.

"Nice to meet you girls. I'm Momoshiro Takeshi," Momoshiro says with a cheerful tone.

Akia greets him cheerfully while Akiko smiles shyly.

After class ends, Akia asks Momoshiro about whether they have tennis clubs or not in Seigaku.

"Of course we do, I'm actually part of the male team," Momoshiro says proudly.

"You play tennis, Momoshiro-kun?" Akia excitedly exclaims.

"Haha, yeah, and you can call me Momo."

"Can I take off the -kun part then?"

"Of course you can. Anyway, I'm actually heading to the tennis club if you want to know where the tennis courts are."

The girls follow him. On the way there, they find Ryoma serving at cans.

"Ryoma? That kid never misses a chance!"

"I think there might be some trouble," Momoshiro says.

After getting closer to where their brother is, Akia and Akiko realize that there are two guys from their grade that are standing there. There are also two freshmen standing behind Ryoma. The can, knocked out by Ryoma was filled with rocks.

"I think those two were ripping off the freshmen…" Akiko whispers to Akia.

"Those assholes!"

Before Akia could do anything, Momoshiro steps in and scolds the two guys. He then turns to Ryoma and challenges him to a tennis match.

"I don't play against people who are not in top condition," Ryoma refuses Momoshiro's challenge.

"What…?"

"You didn't notice, Akiko? Momo's ankle is injured."

"Ah… No, I didn't notice at all."

Akiko and Akia then join the others. They then notice Sakuno there too, with one of her friends.

"Ah, Akiko-senpai, Akia-senpai," Sakuno politely greets them.

"You know them, Sakuno?"

"Yeah, they're Ryoma-kun's older sisters."

"Oh, really?! My name is Osakada Tomoka! I'm Ryoma-kun's number one fan!"

Akiko smiles at Tomoka's cheerfulness.

"Wow, Ryoma already has a fanclub starting up…" Akia sighs.

Ryoma then comes out of the tennis court. He then realizes that his sisters are there.

"Ah, nee-chan."

"Nee-chan?" Momoshiro looks at us, all confused.

"Yeah, Ryoma is our little brother, Momo," Akia giggles.

"Ah! That's why you know him. Anyway, I have to go to club activities. You girls coming?"

"Yup, you're coming too, Ryoma," Akia orders her brother.

"Why do I have to?"

"It's a tennis club, maybe you'll want to join."

"…Fine."

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 **Thank you so much for reading and please review and tell me what you think :D**


	3. Seigaku Regulars

**I finally did it! I updated this story! I'm sorry it took me soooo long...**

 **I'll try to update more often! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

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Chapter 3: Seigaku Regulars

They all arrive at the tennis courts where the tennis club members are warming up. Ryoma, the two first years, and Momoshiro go to the tennis lockers. Akia, Akiko, Sakuno, and Tomoka stand behind the fence, watching the members begin training.

After a bit of time, a lot of girls start crowding up around the tennis courts.

"Are the tennis club guys that popular?" Akia says, a bit annoyed by the sudden crowd of squealing girls.

"Oh, the regulars haven't even come out yet! Wait until one of them makes an appearance," Tomoka exclaims excitedly.

"Regulars?" Akiko softly asks.

"Um, the regulars are basically the best players of the team," Sakuno starts explaining, "they usually are decided through a match ranking system every month. Today is actually the day where they'll be having those matches."

"I see-"

Akia is then interrupted by piercing squeals and "kya kya"s from the girls around. A tall guy with dark brown hair and two hairs falling down his forehead first appears.

"No way, this is just giving me a headache…" Akia grumbles.

"That's Oishi-senpai! He's the vice captain! He's not the most popular among the team, but most girls like his sincere nature," Tomoka says, as if she's studied his profile.

"This looks like trouble…" Akia points at Ryoma and the two first years.

The guy from before seems to be intimidating them.

"That's the guy who made them play that rigged game," Akia says in a flat voice. She knows Ryoma is not the type to get easily intimidated.

"That guy's in our class, Akia-nee… His name is Arai-kun."

"You've always been way too observant, Akiko."

Oishi, who was practicing lobs and hitting them in the basket until then, accidentally lobs too high and it goes toward Ryoma's group. Ryoma then immediately hits it and makes it land in the basket.

"I can't hear anything they're saying from here," Akia complains.

She then notices another regular coming out.

"Over there, that's-" Tomoka starts off.

"Kikumaru Eiji!" Akia exclaims.

Everyone around her, including some girls she doesn't know, look at her weirdly, except for Akiko, who was expecting that reaction.

"You scared me, Akia-senpai!" Tomoka says, a bit offended that she was interrupted in the middle of giving important info.

None of the tennis players notice Akia's outburst, however. Tomoka then proceeds introducing each member of the regulars.

"So, yes, that is Kikumaru Eiji-senpai. He's very popular with the ladies, who like his cheerful personality and very cute looks."

"I can see why…" Akia mumbles in a low enough voice so that nobody hears her.

"Then, there is Fuji-senpai who's one of the most popular members of the tennis club, if not the most! He's just so mysterious, and he's such a smooth guy that all the girls can't help but swoon. Then, we have Kawamura-senpai. He's known to have a bit of a split personality. The one with glasses is Inui-senpai. He's very smart and, no offence, a bit of a creep sometimes, at least for me… Kaidoh-senpai is the only other second year, along with Momoshiro-senpai, who's a regular. Honestly, I don't know much about him… Moving on, we finally have Tezuka-senpai, captain of the tennis club. And rightly so, I mean, everything about him screams captain! He's just so mature and cool and-"

"Tomoka-chan, I thought you were Ryoma's fan," Sakuno whispers to her friend who was getting way too excited.

"O-Of course I am! Nothing wrong with admiring hardworking guys, though, right?"

The Ranking Tournament had already started for while. Akia didn't really listen to anything that Tomoka was saying, since she was just focusing on Ryoma and Eiji's matches. They both keep winning all of their matches. Ryoma is now playing against the guy with the bandana. If Akia remembers correctly, his name is Kaidoh. After a bit of a struggle, Ryoma finally switches to his dominant hand.

"Yeah, it's over for Kaidoh-kun," Akia says in a triumphant voice.

Indeed, Ryoma starts leading the game, and finally wins. He is then up against Inui.

"Hey, Tomoka-chan, why does it seem like Inui-senpai is reading Ryoma's moves?" Akia asks, genuinely confused.

Tomoka then puts on a smug look, happy that she is finally acknowledged.

"Well, Inui-senpai is known for his data tennis," she says.

Akia waits for her to continue explaining, but Tomoka doesn't add anything else.

"Is that all you know?" Akia mutters.

"I-I told you that I don't really know much about him!" Tomoka stutters.

"So I guess that means that he collects a bunch of data on tennis players, then, when he faces a new opponent, he uses what people's general response is to his shots," Akia says, reflecting on his strategy, "too bad Ryoma doesn't follow the usual pattern of tennis players."

Just as Akia said, Ryoma wins the match by going completely against Inui's predictions. Akia then shifts her attention to Kikumaru who's also done with his matches.

"So that concludes the matches?" Akiko asks.

"Yeah, now my grandma- I mean, Coach Ryuuzaki will announce the results."

"The coach is your grandmother, Sakuno-chan?!" Akia exclaims.

"Y-Yes, she is."

When the coach calls the players who are going to be the new regulars, they all go and stand in front of her.

"The previous regulars are all there except Inui-senpai who's been replaced by Ryoma-sama!" Tomoka exclaims.

"H-He's the only first year who's ever made it as a regular! At least, as far as I know," Sakuno says, with admiration clear in her eyes.

The tennis club activities end in the afternoon, and the tennis members go to the lockers to change. In the meantime, the four girls wait for Ryoma to finish.

"Akia-senpai, Akiko-senpai, do you play tennis as well?" Sakuno asks.

"Akia-nee plays tennis very well. On the other hand, I'm not a very sporty person."

"Then, Akia-senpai, would you like to join the girls' tennis club?"

"You know, I might be good at tennis, and I also like, but I don't think that I'll be able to follow a tennis club's regulations and trainings. I'd much rather play tennis on my own free time, when I feel like it."

"I see…" Sakuno says, a little disappointed.

"You've always been like that, Akia-nee. You never joined any club."

While the girls are still talking, Momoshiro is the first one to come out of the lockers and joins them.

"Hey there, ladies! Waiting for me?" Momoshiro says, jokingly.

"You wish! We're actually waiting for Ryoma," Akia giggles.

"Aww, you didn't have to be so direct about it."

"Momo! Hanging out with girls now? You little rascal!"

An upbeat voice that Akia recognizes shouts out to Momoshiro. When Kikumaru joins up with Momoshiro, he stops for a second, and then points at Akia.

"Ah! Echizen Akia!"

"Eiji-senpai, you know her?" Momoshiro asks, surprised at the turn of events.

"Yup, we met at the pet shop the other day. How do you know her, Momo?"

Kikumaru looks at Momoshiro with suspicious eyes.

"A-Ah! She's in my class! Both her and her sister! And the new first year regular, Echizen Ryoma, is their little brother."

"Eh?! Now that you mention it, you do have the same name. But, Momo, you're pretty lucky having cute girls in your class," Kikumaru grins mischievously.

Their interaction makes Akia and Akiko giggle.

"But how should I call them, then? They all have the same name…" Kikumaru starts thinking.

"Well, I call them Akia-chan and Akiko-chan," Momoshiro says.

"I guess that's what I'll call you then! Akia-chan! Akiko-chan!" Kikumaru exclaims.

Ryoma then finally comes out and joins the group.

"Let's go? I'm exhausted," Ryoma addresses his sisters."

"Sure thing, Ryoma. Let's go, Akia-nee?"

"I don't feel like going home…"

"Come on, did you have to come and spoil the moment, ochibi?" Kikumaru whines.

"O-Ochibi?!" Ryoma says, surprised by the sudden nickname.

"Akia-nee, it's getting late, and you have a lot of homework to work on! Let's go!" Akiko says in a firm voice.

"Y-Yes ma'am…" Akia answers in defeat.

Both her and Ryoma can never go against Akiko when she's serious. They say their goodbyes and leave for home.

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 **Tell me in the reviews how you like it so far! And I'm actually really curious to know which one of the twins you prefer :DD**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Manager

**I'm sorry it took me forever to update, but here's the next chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it :D**

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Chapter 4: Manager

"Pass me your notes for today's classes when we get home, Akiko," Akia says with a yawn.

Classes were over for the day. The twins are now packing up their school bags.

"Akia-nee… You shouldn't sleep so much during classes," Akiko sighs at her sister's behaviour.

"And I thought I slept too much during classes," Momoshiro jokes, "you totally beat me there, Akia-chan."

The three of them continue joking around while making their way to the tennis courts. When they arrive, they bump into Sakuno and Tomoka.

"You girls here to watch the tennis practice again?" Akia says to them.

Sakuno nods.

"Did you hear about what happened?" Tomoka adopts a mysterious voice.

"No," Akia responds, "But I bet we will now."

"Well, you know about the results of the ranking matches right?" Tomoka starts off, "Inui Sadaharu-senpai is the one who was kicked off the regulars team because of Ryoma-sama."

Akiko and Akia nod. Momoshiro makes his way to the changing room while the girls are chatting.

"I heard that Inui-senpai became the one in charge of the tennis club members' training and diet now!"

"Wait," Akia brings her hand to her chin, "he can do that?"

"I know that look, Akia-nee…" Akiko sighs.

"I was getting a bit bored not being part of any club," Akia says, "and I checked the female's tennis club out, but it just isn't up to my level, no offence."

"Akia-senpai…" Sakuno lowers her head in exasperation, since she's part of the female tennis club.

"Sakuno-chan, your grandmother is the coach for the guys' tennis club, right?" Akia says, completely ignoring Sakuno's reaction to her comment.

Sakuno simply nods, a bit curious as to why Akia is asking.

"Do you think you can get her to make me team manager?" Akia gets right to the point.

"But," Akiko replies, "isn't Inui-senpai already fulfilling that position?"

"Inui-senpai is like a team trainer," Akia corrects her sister, "a manager is someone who will provide mental support, clean up and put away equipment, as well as bring water and refreshments for the team."

"Why would you want to do that, Akia-nee?" Akiko says, a bit surprised, "you're too lazy to even just take care of yourself, let alone a whole tennis team…"

"I'll let this one slide…" Akia says in a mumble, then proceeds with her explanation, "the reason why I want to become the manager, is because I can probably get to play against the members if I want to! Get it now?"

"I should've know," Akiko facepalms, "this is all for your personal gain."

"I can always ask," Sakuno replies to Akia.

"Really? You're awesome, Sakuno-chan!" Akia gives her a thumbs up.

While they're talking, all of the tennis members have already started warming up. Coach Ryuuzaki then comes to greet her granddaughter.

"Hey there, Sakuno," she says in her raspy voice.

"Grandma," Sakuno smiles at her beloved grandmother, "perfect timing! These two are my senpai, Echizen Akiko-senpai and Echizen Akia-senpai."

"Echizen?" Coach Ryuuzaki raises her eyebrows, "you girls are related to Ryoma, aren't you?"

They both affirm that statement. Sakuno then proceeds to explaining to her grandmother how Akia wants to become the manager of the tennis club. The coach nods at what her grandchild is telling her, while carefully listening to the proposition. After Sakuno finishes explaining, Akia looks at Coach Ryuuzaki with hopeful eyes.

"I don't see why not," Coach Ryuuzaki says, "if anything, it'll good moral support for the members to have a girl around. Get into your gym clothes and come join us. I'll brief you on what things you could do after introducing you."

"Yes! I mean…" Akia tries to control her enthusiasm, "I'll do my best, coach!"

She then hurries to a changing room where she changes into her gym clothes. This is the second time she wears them, the first being earlier today when she had PE class. It's her size, but the red shorts are a bit tight on her butt. This earned her a lot of stares from guys and girls alike during her gym class. Momoshiro didn't miss the chance to comment on it, either, telling her that she was rocking that outfit. As for her, she just really feels uncomfortable in them, but a bigger size would slide right off. She makes her way back to the tennis courts, where Sakuno and Tomoka also give her stares of astonishment.

"Not you girls too…" Akia crossed her arms, feeling a bit irritated.

"S-sorry, it's just that-" Sakuno stutters.

"I wish I looked like that!" Tomoka loudly exclaims.

This gets some of the surrounding people's attention, including Coach Ryuuzaki. The latter makes her way back to the girls.

"You'll definitely cheer the guys up like that," Coach Ryuuzaki chuckles, "anyway, follow me."

Akia sighs and follows Coach Ryuuzaki. The coach then clears her throat and claps her hands to get the attention of the tennis club members. The regulars were in the middle of a run around the tennis courts, directed by Inui. The others were practicing some swings. Needless to say, when Coach Ryuuzaki caught their attention, they all stopped what they were doing, mainly because of the girl she brought with her.

"I see that I got your attention much faster than usual," Coach Ryuuzaki mumbles, "I wanted to introduce to you Echizen Akia, who will be the tennis club manager-"

As soon as she says the word manager, a lot of the members cheer. Akia giggles at how well they're receiving her.

"Be nice to her, but not too nice!" Coach Ryuuzaki says in a strict voice, "you can go back to practice now."

"I'm rooting for you," Akia says in a cute voice, "do your best!"

The guys' cheering gets louder and they get back to practice, working harder than before.

"You're a natural at that," Coach Ryuuzaki says in a amazement, "come with me, I'll tell you what things you can do."

Coach Ryuuzaki then starts explaining to her the training schedule for the tennis club, and how it's different for regulars compared to the other members. For more details, she was advised to go talk to Inui.

"Since it would be impossible for you to take care of everyone, focus on the regulars."

Akia nods. After getting the gist of how things work, she's then given a schedule of when practice is being held.

"And that's it for today," Coach Ryuuzaki says, "since practice is over, you can go home for today. I'll see you next time."

"Yes, coach!" Akia answers enthusiastically.

She goes back and changes into her school uniform before meeting back up with Sakuno, Tomoka, and Akiko. On her way there, she bumps into some of the tennis club members who keep expressing how happy they are for her to be there.

"Alright, alright, break it up," a male voice comes from behind the group, "let the girl breathe!"

The tennis members grumble in disappointment and leave after waving goodbye to Akia. After waving back, she turns around to find Momoshiro.

"Thought it was you," Akia giggles.

"Never thought you'd be tennis club manager," Momoshiro replies with a smile, "not that I'm complaining."

"Momo, you pervert," a cheerful voice comes from behind Momoshiro.

Kikumaru Eiji then comes forward.

"Kikumaru-senpai!" Akia exclaims.

She always feels happy and nervous whenever he's around.

"How come you didn't tell me about becoming manager?" Kikumaru pouts.

"I just decided that today, that's why," Akia tries to defend herself, "besides, I wouldn't know how to tell you, since I only see you at practice."

"Why don't we exchange numbers then?" Kikumaru casually says.

"Eh?"

For the first time, Akia finds herself speechless. She did not expect him to ask her her phone number. Not that she didn't like it, on the contrary, she's loving every part of it.

"No?" Kikumaru's eyebrows middle-raise in a bit of worry over getting rejected.

"No! I mean, yes!" Akia answers in a panicky voice then takes out her phone.

"Yatta!" Kikumaru happily exclaims.

They exchange numbers, while Momoshiro snickers at them.

"Hey, I don't even have your number yet," Momoshiro complains, "and I'm in the same class."

"You want it?" Akia says flatly, completely different from how she acted when Kikumaru asked her.

"Don't give it to him, Akia-chan," Kikumaru whispers to Akia, "he'll keep calling you for no reason."

"I can hear you, you know!" Momoshiro says in annoyance.

When they join back with the three girls, they find them with Ryoma. After saying their goodbyes, they each head their way back home.

That night, Akia tells Akiko about how she got Kikumaru's number.

"Akia-nee," Akiko looks at her with a sneaky smile, "could it be…?"

"Akiko!" Akia shouts at her sister while burying her face in her pillow.

"Hehe," Akiko snickers, "I can't believe it. You barely know him, though."

"That's what I'm saying," Akia frowns at her twin, "I just like talking to him… that's it!"

"If you say so," Akiko chuckles, relishing in her sister's embarrassment, "I'm going back to my room to study. Here's the notes for today, since you went ahead and slept during classes."

"Thanks! You're the best!"

Akiko leaves the room and Akia takes the notes. She then quickly goes through them, grasping everything as she reads it. She may be lazy, but she's actually very smart. Her grades are average only because she doesn't want to give it any extra effort.

"Now for homework…"

As usual, Akia half-asses her homework, not really caring about whether her answers are right or wrong. She then picks up her phone and scrolls through her contacts.

"Kikumaru Eiji…"

She stops scrolling when she reaches his name. She stares at it for a bit and spaces out. Her phone screen then switches to the call screen and starts ringing and vibrating in her hand. She gasps in surprise, not expecting a call at this hour. She then looks at the caller ID. It reads Kikumaru Eiji. She then starts to panic, not knowing if she should answer or not. She then calms herself down and presses the confirm button.

"H-Hello?" She stutters.

"Ah! Akia-chan?"

"Yes, it's me."

"This is Kikumaru."

"How's everything, Kikumaru-senpai. Is something up?"

"No, I just wanted to make sure that you gave me the right phone number, haha."

"Of course I did!"

"Well now I know. You don't mind if I randomly call you?"

"I don't mind at all. You can call me anytime, Kikumaru-senpai."

"Eiji."

"Huh?"

"Eiji. Call me Eiji."

"B-But…!" Akia hesitates, a bit shy about calling him by his first name.

"I won't answer you if you don't call me by my first name!" Eiji says in his usual cheerful voice.

"Alright… E-Eiji-senpai."

"Woah! Didn't think it'd feel that good to be called by my first name." Eiji chuckles.

"Stop it, Kiku- I mean, Eiji-senpai! You're making me shy!"

"Haha, kawaii! Well, I'll talk to you later then, my mom's calling me."

"Alright…" Akia says in a small voice, a little shaken by how he called her cute.

They both hang up. Akia stares more at her phone, feeling flustered by what just happened. She takes a few deep breaths, trying to control her beating heart. She then gets ready for bed. She tries her best to not look out of the norm, since her sister would immediately ask her questions, which she didn't feel like answering right now.

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 **Tell me what you think in the reviews! I answer almost everything XD**


	5. Left Behind

**Shorter chapter this time. I'm like writing this with a runny nose and a fever XD**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

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Chapter 5: Left Behind

"Akia's been so busy with her manager duties lately," Akiko says to her cousin, Nanako, who's living with them because it's closer to her college.

Akia had rushed through her breakfast and left in a hurry, without waiting for her twin sister. This had been going on for a week now. Akia would leave early and come home late.

"Well I heard from Ryoma that the Tokyo District's Preliminaries are happening soon," Nanako comments.

"Yeah," Akiko tries to smile, "it's just a bit lonely without her being always there."

Akiko and Akia used to be inseparable. You couldn't find one of them without the other one being right there with her. Now, Akiko has to go to school by herself, or with only Ryoma. She would then go home alone if she doesn't wait for club activities to be over. Even when they are over, Akia would stay longer, organizing the training schedule with Inui. Once, Akiko waited long enough until Akia was done, and found out that Kikumaru also waited for her to walk her home. During the whole walk, Akiko felt like a third wheel. She knows very well that her twin has feelings for Kikumaru. That's why she decided to not wait for her sister the following days.

Akiko really enjoys hearing Akia talk about Kikumaru. She enjoys seeing her sister so happy, even though it makes her feel a bit lonely to be left out.

"I'm going to school," Akiko says to her family after finishing up with her breakfast. Ryoma was also gone by that point.

Akiko heads out on her own. She arrives in class a few minutes before the bell rings. Right when the bell rings, Akia rushes to her seat.

"What took you so long, Akia-nee?"

"Haa… Akiko…" Akia says while panting, "I was… going over the finalized training schedule with Inui-senpai."

"Oh, so you're done with it?" Akiko asks, hoping that she finally might be able to spend more time with her twin.

"Wait, you're done with our training schedule?" Momoshiro butts into the conversation.

He's a bit worried about the schedule, since Inui is pretty strict when it comes to training.

"Yup," Akia answers with a grin.

"It won't be too painful to go through, right?" Momoshiro's voice trembles a bit.

"Well-"

Akia then interrupts herself, seeing the teacher coming in.

During lunch break, Akia scoots her chair over to Akiko's desk. While eating their homemade bento, they start talking about the tennis club. Having finished with the training schedule, personalized for each member, Akia says that now she'll have much more free time. Inui had actually let her do a big part, seeing that she's got solid basics and understanding of tennis.

After classes, Akia heads to the tennis courts. Akiko decides to go and watch the practice. She wanted to wait for Akia that day and head home together.

Akia changes into her PE uniform and gets to the courts. There, a lot of the members flock around her, greeting her as usual. Akia was used to that, since it happened every time she went to the practice. The club members loved her.

"Akia-chan!"

Akia turns her head towards where she heard the cheerful voice. All she could see was the club members, but none of them was the owner of the voice. Suddenly, arms loosely wrap around her neck, resting on her shoulders in a friendly back hug.

"Akia-chan~"

This time the voice was softer and close to her ear. Her face then instantly becomes a deep shade of red. She knows that the person hugging her is Kikumaru Eiji. The fact that he's so close makes her heart skip a beat. Even though he does that to her brother too, and she knows that there is no deeper meaning into the hug, she can't seem to be able to calm herself. She hears the other club members whining at Eiji, telling him that he's too close to her. He ignores them and she feels his grip tighten a bit around her. She tries so hard to say something, but her whole body is stiff.

"Alright, break it up!" Coach Ryuuzaki's raspy voice breaks through the members' complaints.

Eiji finally lets go of Akia and waves at her before heading to the courts. She stiffly waves back.

 _"_ _I couldn't even say a single word! What's wrong with me?"_ Akia thinks as she shakes her head quickly.

That day, Inui tells the regulars about their new training schedule. It's stricter than ever before, making some of the members express their worries by sighing or dropping their head low.

After practice is over, Akia comes out to see her sister, earlier than usual. Akiko, seeing her twin, smiles brightly.

"Akia-nee! So you're not staying late today?"

"For once, I'm not." Akia sighs in relief. She then starts looking back.

"Are you looking for Kikumaru-senpai?" Akiko asks, perceptive as always when it comes to her sister.

"N-No!" Akia's face flushes again.

"You're so predictable," Akiko chuckles. "Ah," Akiko then points at someone behind Akia.

Before Akia can turn around to see what Akiko is pointing at, a hand ruffles her hair playfully. She then immediately turns around and comes face to face with Kikumaru.

"E-Eiji-senpai!" Akia stutters.

"Finally you're done early with your manager duties nya," Kikumaru says while taking his hand off Akia's head.

"Yeah," Akia shyly smiles.

Akiko, seeing their interaction, decides that her sister would probably be happier if she's left alone with Kikumaru.

"Oh! I just remembered that I forgot something in class," Akiko retorts.

"Alright, we'll wait for you." Akia smiles at her twin.

"No," Akiko quickly says, "you guys go on ahead. I'll see you at home, Akia-nee."

Ryoma's still on the courts, practicing with Momoshiro. That means that Akia and Kikumaru will really be alone, Akiko thought. Before Akia could say anything, Akiko leaves and heads towards the classes. She then goes up to one of the classes facing the courts. There, she sees Akia and Kikumaru leaving together.

Akiko was happy for her sister, but she still couldn't erase that tinge of loneliness that she was feeling. She felt that Akia was drifting away from her more and more everyday.

"Will I just be… Left behind?"

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 **Tell me what you think in the reviews!**


	6. Fateful Encounter

**I loved writing this chapter!**

 **I hope you guys enjoy reading it too :D**

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Chapter 6: Fateful Encounter

"It's already this dark?" Akiko says to herself, startled after looking at the clock in the classroom.

She's been in the classroom for a while after telling Akia and Kikumaru to go on ahead without her. Akiko makes her way out of the school, noticing that the sun's almost completely set.

After walking for a bit, the sun is completely gone, now.

"This is not good…" Akiko mutters.

She's always been a bit scared of walking around at night. She walks past the tennis courts, getting closer to the station.

She starts hearing footsteps behind her. Overcome with panic, her breath becomes shorter and faster. Her heart starts beating faster as she picks up her pace. The footsteps behind her also start getting faster and closer to her. They are definitely following her, she thinks. She then decides to break out into a run. She runs as fast as she can, but the footsteps just keep getting closer.

Her heart then starts pounding painfully. Her heart, just like all of her body, is physically weak. The doctors always advise her against any excessive physical activity, since it can be very dangerous for her. Even though she knows all this, she also knows that worse things might happen to her if she stops running. Someone then suddenly grabs her wrist from behind and yanks hard on it, making her almost trip over.

"Hey, hey, no need to run from us," the man who's holding her wrist says in a mocking voice.

Akiko's heart is now beating faster than ever, from both fear and exhaustion. Last time her heart acted up like that, she fainted and had to be brought to the hospital in a hurry.

"P-Please, I just w-want to go home," Akiko whimpers.

Relishing in her fear, the men start laughing, mocking her.

"Go home? Sorry girly, you're coming with us," the man who's grabbing her wrist says to her.

He then starts dragging her along. She does everything she can to resist, but it's no use. She's not nearly strong enough, especially against all these men.

Horrifying thoughts start going through her mind. She shakes and whimpers in fear. Just as she thought that it's all over for her, someone comes up and punches the man who's holding her wrist. Before the others can react, they meet the same fist. Akiko loses balance, due to her knees being all wobbly from fear and relief.

"Get up," the one who came to her rescue commands.

As she tries to get up, a paralyzing pain pierces through her heart. She lets out a choked cry and clutches her shirt at the area causing her pain.

"Hey, get a hold of yourself," the guy gets closer to her, with his arms up to catch her in case she falls.

Akiko brings her gaze up the lean muscular arms, and her eyes meet with her saviour's. They fall upon sharp honey brown eyes. Akiko notices that he doesn't look like he's much older than she is. His silver hair is put up, giving her a clear view of his face. His pale skin almost shines in the moonlight.

The pain in her chest brings her back to reality. She used up too much of her energy earlier. If she does any more effort, she might end up in the hospital. She grimaces, and the guy notices it.

"Your heart?" He motions at her hand that's still clutching her shirt.

"Uh… Y-Yeah, it's nothing… I'll manage…" Akiko stutters, not really convinced by her own words.

"Tch, stupid woman," the guy mutters.

Akiko drops her gaze in disappointment. She thought that, because he saved her, he was a good person.

"S-Sorry… waaah!" Akiko let out a scream of surprise at what the guy just did.

It took her a few seconds to process what just happened. The guy lifted her up in his arms, princess style.

"W-w-what are you doing?" She stutters even more, her face a deep shade of red.

"You don't seem like you'll be able to walk. This way it's faster to get out of here before these assholes wake up," he dismisses her reaction and starts walking.

Akiko unconsciously takes hold of his shirt. Even though she doesn't know him at all, she feels safe and at ease with him. She closes her eyes, and his scent wafts to her nose. The smell of mint, sweat, and a hint of tobacco envelops her senses.

"Where do you live?" The guy's voice snaps her out of it.

Even though his voice sounds forceful and aggressive, Akiko feels like he's more caring than he shows. Not anyone would do what he's doing. She gives him instructions on how to get to her place. He rides the train with her and walks her to her house.

He then, without a word, turns around and starts leaving.

"Um! Wait!" Akiko says in a clear voice.

He then turns his head around.

"What?" He says in annoyed tone.

"T-Thank you for everything…" Akiko lowers her gaze and blushes.

"I won't be there every time. You better not go out this late again," he then prepares to leave again, but Akiko calls out to him once more.

"Sorry, but… can you tell me your name?" She mumbles the last part, too shy to say it out loud.

"Akutsu. Akutsu Jin," he answers her flatly.

"Thanks again, Akutsu-san. My name is Echizen Akiko, by the way," she says to him with a smile.

"Didn't ask," he snorts and leaves for real this time.

Akiko's heart starts beating fast again, but, this time, it's not painful or out of over-exertion. It's a warm tingling feeling that spreads over to her stomach as well.

"Akutsu Jin…" She whispers his name to herself, "I wonder if I'll ever see him again."

She then goes in her house. As soon as she steps inside, Akia runs to her, screaming her name.

"Why are you so late?!" Akia sobs, "I was so scared something might've happened to you!"

"Well… Something did happen to me," Akiko says with a smile.

Akia looks at her sister. It's the first time she sees her smiling this way. She smiles a lot, yes, but this smile's a bit different from her usual smiles.

"You're coming with me up to my room, and I'm not letting you sleep before you tell me EVERYTHING!" Akia drags Akiko up to her room where the latter starts telling her all about what happened.

Akiko never had the intention of hiding anything from her twin. They always tell each other anything. This time it's no exception. Akia listens to her sister as she recounts both the bad and good things that happened to her.

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 **Alrighty! Akutsu's finally in the picture! So, what'd you guys think of this chapter? Tell me in the reviews!**


	7. Tokyo District Preliminary

**I'm updating so fast now! XD**

 **I hope you guys don't get too bored from the more frequent updates :D**

 **Enjoy!**

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Chapter 7: Tokyo District Preliminary

Seishun Gakuen has won the first round easily at the Tokyo District Preliminary. The Quarterfinal against Gyokurin Middle School is right around the corner, causing the club managers, captain, and coach to schedule a strategy meeting.

It's finally the day for the meeting to decide the matchup for the next round. Akia, on her way to the classroom where the meeting is being held, starts thinking about what Akiko told her the other day.

"Akutsu Jin…" She mumbles.

 _"_ _We really do owe him our thanks. Without him, who knows where Akiko would be,"_ Akia thinks to herself, shuddering at what might've happened otherwise.

She arrives at the classroom and finds Inui, Tezuka, and Coach Ryuuzaki already discussing who will be playing and the order they'll play in. The Tournament consists of two doubles matches and three singles matches. For the Doubles 1 match, Oishi and Kikumaru have been immediately places there, since they are the best doubles team in the Tennis Club. Kawamura's been put in Singles 2, and Fuji's been put in Singles 1. Now all that's left to decide is the Doubles 2 match, and the Singles 3.

While they brainstorm to decide who to place where, two people come barging into the classroom.

"R-Ryoma…?!" Akia exclaims in surprise.

"Momo, Echizen? What are you two doing here?" Coach Ryuuzaki says with a hint of anger in her voice.

"We'll be in the Doubles 2 match!" They both shout at the same time.

Everyone's eyes widen. These were the two that kept fighting over the Singles spots.

"W-Well, you do seem very passionate about it," Ryuuzaki stutters at their energy and then she turns to Tezuka, Inui, and me, "if that's okay with you guys."

They all nod and say that it's no problem. Thus, the Doubles 2 match is Echizen and Momo, and the Singles 3 is Kaidoh.

It's now the day of the Quarterfinal. Akia wakes up much earlier and heads straight to the kitchen. Despite how she looks and acts, she's actually a great cook. She starts preparing a bento for her brother and one for Kikumaru.

"I hope he likes it…" Akia mumbles and smiles while thinking of how happy Kikumaru will be.

Akiko wakes up a bit after her and, hearing the noise in the kitchen, heads straight there.

"Akia-nee? How come you're awake so early?" Akiko yawns in the middle of her sentence.

"Akiko! Come help me. You're in charge of making your and my bento," Akia gives out her orders while rushing from one place to another.

Without saying anything else, Akiko gets to work. For Kikumaru's bento, Akia makes rice balls in the shape of a cat, trying as best as she can to make it look like the white cat they both saw when they first met. She cuts up some nori sheets for the details and adds some side dishes along the edges to make it look both cute and appetizing. For Ryoma's bento, she doesn't do nearly as much effort. She just neatly arranges everything in the box.

"Done! What do you think, Akiko?" Akia turns to her twin.

"I bet the cat one is for Kikumaru-senpai," Akiko giggles.

"You're right about that!" Akia gives her a thumbs-up.

"Oh, that's true!" Akiko gasps, "Someone has to wake up Ryoma!"

"Leave it to me," Akia says as she heads towards her brother's bedroom.

She first goes through the normal methods of opening the curtains and telling him to wake up, but, as usual, it doesn't work.

"Well, you leave me no choice, Ryoma…" Akia sighs.

She then goes back to the kitchen and gets some clothespins. She then goes back to Ryoma's room, excited to try her new idea, only to find him out of his bed, fully awake.

"Awww, you're no fun," Akia whines.

"I'm not about to let you do anything to me the day of the Quaterfinal…" Ryoma says in an annoyed voice.

His gaze then wanders to what Akia's holding.

"What were you planning to do with these…?" Ryoma exclaims with horror in his eyes.

"Oh, these?" Akia looks at the clothepins, "I was planning to clip your mouth and your nose shut until you run out of air and wake up."

"…You're evil…" Ryoma says in a shaking voice, realizing what he has just escaped.

The three siblings then gather in the kitchen and carry their respective bento. Akia carries Kikumaru's as well and they all head to the location of the Quarterfinal.

Arriving there, they spot a few early members of the Seigaku team. Inui, Tezuka, Coach Ryuuzaki, Kawamura, Kaidoh, and Oishi are the only ones there for now. Sakuno and Tomoka are also there to cheer them on. They all greet each other and wait for the rest of the members to arrive. Fuji comes next, and then Kikumaru and Momo finally make it.

After greeting everyone, Kikumaru goes up to Akia and puts his arms around Akia's neck in his friendly way.

"Akia-chan! Good morning!" Kikumaru exclaims with a bright smile.

"Eiji-senpai! G-Good morning…" Akia blushes severly. Her heart starts beating really fast.

Coach Ryuuzaki then coughs a bit to clear her throat and get everyone's attention. Kikumaru then lets go of Akia, to her disappointment.

"Everyone's finally there?" Coach Ryuuzaki looks at all of us. "Alright, let's go check in."

After checking in, they all go to the court where the Seigaku VS Gyokurin is going to be held. The Doubles 2 teams start stretching while the other players go sit on the benches. Akia, since she's their manager, is allowed to sit at the front next to Coach Ryuuzaki.

The first match is Echizen and Momo VS Izumi and Fukawa. Akia and Akiko hold their breath, knowing full well that Ryoma is not a good Doubles player. Akia's still very surprised by how vehemently him and Momo insisted on playing the Doubles 2 match.

"One set match," the referee starts saying, "Gyokurin to serve."

 _"_ _This is it!"_ Akia and Akiko exclaim in their mind at the same time.

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 **This is story is really not getting a lot of reviews... I don't know if you guys like it or not. Well, I guess as long as I still have views, it means it's somewhat satisfying you enough XD**

 **That being said, I like reading reviews so if you feel like it, just review and tell me what you think :)**


	8. Bento

**Took me a while to update... I kind of was thinking of giving up on this story, but I figured "let's just do it!" Besides, it's fun to write :D**

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Chapter 8: Bento

"What are they doing?!" Akia exclaims in frustration.

Ryoma and Momoshiro have oddly separated the court in two sections, so that they don't get in each other's way while playing the doubles match. Even though it's not a very doubles-like attitude, everyone let it slide, since they were getting a god lead. But that isn't the case now. The Gyokurin team have found the weakness in their strategy. They are now aiming all of their shots at the middle court line. Ryoma and Momoshiro, both wanting to get to the ball first, end up clashing or leaving half the court open for an attack. They start losing point after point until they eventually lose the whole game. The score is now 3-2, in Seigaku's favour. However, if they don't find a way around that problem, Akia fears that they might actually lose.

The next games, the unusual pair uses an unusual tactic. They scream either AH or UN.

"…What are they doing?" Akiko whispers.

Horio Satoshi, Mizuno Katsuo, and Kachirou Katou, who are all freshmen in Seigaku as well as Ryoma's classmates, are sitting next to Akiko, Sakuno, and Tomoka.

"Whatever they're doing is embarrassing to watch," Horio says in an exasperated tone.

Akia, who's sitting next to coach Ryuuzaki, couldn't help but sigh.

"Well, at least it's helping them not go after the ball at the same time," Akia mumbles, trying to convince herself before anyone.

"They're using it wrong…" Coach Ryuuzaki points out, "they should be able to use signals without having to shout embarrassingly like that. I should've had them train with Kikumaru and Oishi."

The match soon ends, to everyone's relief, with Seigaku getting the first win. Coach Ryuuzaki doesn't lose a chance to lecture Ryoma and Momoshiro about how poor their doubles ability is. Akia, on the other hand, goes to see Kikumaru who's finishing up with his warmup.

"Good luck out there, Eiji-senpai!"

At Akia's encouragement, Kikumaru flashes her a big smile and a thumbs up.

"It'll be easy easy! Especially with Akia-chan cheering for me."

Akia shyly giggles and Kikumaru waves at her while going to the court with Oishi.

The match ends with them not even losing a single point.

"As expected of the Golden Pair," Coach Ryuuzaki says, content with the results.

"Oh yeah! Way to go!" Akia, who can't contain her excitement anymore, shouts and jumps up from her seat.

Kikumaru comes running to her and gives her a big hug.

""Akia-chan! We did it! Did you see how good we were?"

"Y-Yeah, y-you were great out there," Akia stutters, her face flaming up at the sudden contact.

She feels a tinge of disappointment when he lets go, however, to go join Oishi in the player seats.

Only one more game, and Seigaku will win this round. Kaidoh's the one placed in singles three. Following in his senpai's footsteps, he wins the game without letting his opponent score. With this victory, Seigaku's advancement is decided. The matches continue however, for the overall placements.

Singles two's Kawamura Takashi is up next. As soon as he holds the racket, his character completely changes from timid to extremely confident and loud. Akiko along with Ryoma's fanclub cheer for Seigaku. Completely overpowering his opponent, Kawamura Takashi flawlessly wins the game, making Seigaku the victor once more.

The last singles being Fuji Syusuke pretty much guarantees Seigaku's win for this match as well. In the end, Seigaku wins all of their matches against Gyokurin.

It's not time for lunch. Akiko goes down to join Akia, followed by Ryoma's classmates. Ryoma goes to his sisters and takes his bento before leaving with Momo.

"So," Akiko whispers to her twin, "are you going to give the bento to Kikumaru-senpai?"

Akia's face involuntarily gets covered in a deep shade of red.

"I-I will…" Akia replies as she starts making her way to her senpai.

She soon halts when she sees a bunch of fangirls gathering around the players. Before he sees her, she quickly makes her way back to Akiko and the others. Akiko looks at her worriedly.

"Akia-nee…" Akiko sighs.

She doesn't need her sister to explain anything, since her face says it all. Akiko sees that Akia is scared. She sees that the smallest thing will make her lose all courage. She doesn't like to see her always bursting with confidence older twin sister in such a discouraged state. Then again, Akia has always been like that around guys that she liked.

Akia puts on a fake smile and tries to act as her usual self.

"Let's go eat! I'm starving!"

Akiko reluctantly follows Akia with Sakuno and Tomoka. Horio, Mizuno and Kachirou, on the other hand, go see what Ryoma and Momo are up to.

The girls find a nice place on the lawn to sit and eat while talking about how cool the boys were in their matches. Akia, who's usually the most talkative, isn't saying anything. She isn't eating much either, just staring at nothing in particular. She sighs every once in a while, oblivious to the worried looks that Sakuno, Tomoka and Akiko are giving her.

After a bit, Akiko and the two other girls look behind Akia and smile mischievously. Akia, still in her little bubble, doesn't notice anything. The person behind Akia gets close to her and then…

"YO!"

"AH!"

Akia screams as she turns around, ready to slap whoever gave her such a scare. As soon as she turns around, she realizes how close that person's face is. It takes her a while to register who it actually is.

"E-E-E-Eiji-senpai!"

Instinctively, she backs away.

"Hahahahaha, you should've seen your face!" Eiji laughs while holding his stomach.

Slowly and quietly, Akiko tells Tomoka and Sakuno to follow her and leave Akia and Kikumaru alone.

"What are you guys eating…" Kikumaru's voice trails off as he realizes that only Akia and him remain.

Akia turns around and follows his gaze.

"They left?"

"Well," Kikumaru scratches the back of his head, feeling a bit shy at the prospect of being alone with Akia, "what are you eating?"

He sits down next to her. He takes a glance at her bento and realizes that it's pretty much untouched.

"Ah! Kawaii! I wish I had someone who could do that for me…" Kikumaru says innocently, not aware that Akia has actually prepared something for him.

"Actually, if you're hungry," Akia reaches into her bag, "I made another one…"

She doesn't say that she made it for him, though, considering how shy she feels about it.

"Whoa, really?!" Kikumaru happily exclaims. "I can have it?"

Akia gives him a small nod.

"Lucky!" he happily takes the box from her, opening it right away.

He pauses when he sees the contents and then comes to a certain realization.

"It's a white cat like the one you liked when we first met," he giggles.

"Haha, yeah what a coincidence right, haha," Akia awkwardly laughs, not wanting him to realize that that's exactly what it is.

They both eat while talking about random things.

"You're facing off against Mizunofuchi after lunch," Akia says, "I'm sure it'll be a perfect victory this time too."

"If you keep cheering me on like that, then of course it'll be a perfect victory," Kikumaru smirks, "especially after feeling so energized with this cute bento."

"Stop it," Akia gives him a shy friendly shove.

"Whaat?" Kikumaru giggles.

"When you say things like that, I don't know how to react…"

They start heading to the court for the next match. The whole time, Akiko, Sakuno, and Tomoka were spying on them from not too far.

"Ohohohoho," Tomoka chuckles, "Kikumaru-senpai and Akia-senpai. Who would've thought?"

"Are you guys sure it's alright to eavesdrop on them like that?" Sakuno says worriedly.

"Akia-nee won't find out," Akiko smirks, "don't worry about it."

"That bento was definitely for him," Tomoka chimes.

"Indeed it is," Akiko answers her, "she woke up really early just for that."

The girls keep gossiping until their subjects get up and leave. Akiko and the others carefully follow them and get to the courts, making sure not to be spotted by Akia and Kikumaru until then.

* * *

 **Thank you for being patient with me! Review and tell me what you think.**


	9. Cheeky Girl

**I finally updated this! It's been more than a year now that I see the date I last updated. Really sorry about the extreme delay. I just didn't think I'd continue this. But then I reread it and it was actually kinda fun to read. I hope you guys are still with me after all this time.**

 **Enjoy :)**

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Chapter 9: Cheeky Girl

Seigaku wiped the floor with the Mizunofuchi team. They didn't lose a single game. Kawamura and Fuji led the first doubles match to a win for Seigaku, followed by the Golden Pair who also completely dominated. Kaidoh then finished the job by ending it with a flawless victory.

"Alright! Just one team left to beat and we'll be the champions!" Akia exclaims.

She joins up with Akiko, Tomoka, and Sakuno who were waiting for her outside the tennis court.

"Hey, the match to decide which team Seigaku will playing against next is being held in a nearby court," Tomoka informs everyone.

"That sounds interesting. If I look at them a bit I might be able to give our team some good advice."

"You're actually starting to think like a team manager now," Akiko giggles.

"I've always been the team manager!"

The two teams playing each other to decide who would go to the finals and face Seigaku are Kakinoki and Fudoumine. When the girls arrive there, they start observing from behind the fence.

"This is going to totally be an easy win for Kakinoki!" Tomoka says with an informed tone.

"What makes you say that?" Akia asks.

"Well, they've always been one of the best teams each time, only losing to Seigaku in the previous Tokyo District Preliminaries. As for Fudoumine, I've only heard rumours about them being involved in a lot of violent acts," Tomoka explains.

"That sounds kind of scary…" Sakuno softly says.

"Hmm…" Akia let out, lost in thought as she looks at the scores.

So far, Fudoumine won the first game flawlessly. The Doubles 1 is about to start.

"Hey! You four!"

A feminine voice from behind the four girls calls them out. They all turn around to see who the voice belongs to. Akia is kind of irritated that she was interrupted while trying to study the team that will be playing against Seigaku.

They see a slender girl who has light brown hair that's in a short bob haircut with dark blue eyes. She's wearing a light blue jersey top and white plaided mini-skirt.

"What? Make it fast. I don't have all day," Akia says in a defiant voice.

She's only acting that way from seeing the girl looking at them with a provocative glare.

"You girls are from Seigaku, aren't you? Trying to spy on the competition?"

"What if I am? I don't think there are any rules against that now, is there?" Akia grins.

Akiko, Sakuno and Tomoka are starting to sense the tension in the air. Akiko wants to calm Akia down, but she knows it won't be of any use.

"Are you too scared to fight fair and square? Does Seigaku need to resort to spying to be able to win?" The girl keeps provoking Akia.

Akia frowns and start getting riled up.

"Huh? You think my boys can't handle? Well, they'll show you! They'll wipe the floor with any team that comes at them with or without my spying!"

"Akia-neeee!" Akiko tries to calm Akia down.

The girl chuckles.

"You guys are funny. I guess we'll see each other in the finals then."

The girl then leaves them there.

"What was that all about?" Akia mumbles.

"…Do you still want to watch the rest of the matches?" Akiko softly asks.

"Hell no! I'm not in the mood!" Akia retorts as she stomps away from the tennis court, not even giving it a second look.

She goes to a beverage vending machine and buys herself a soda. Without a word, she opens it and gulps it down in one shot.

"That really upset her…" Akiko whispers to Sakuno and Tomoka.

"Does she always get worked up so easily?" Tomoka asks Akiko.

"Not always. Only when she feels that people are challenging her somehow," Akiko explains, still in a low enough voice to keep Akia from hearing her.

Akia then goes to an empty tennis court. The girls follow her, concerned that she might do something stupid. Akia then takes out her racket and a tennis ball from her sports bag. She then angrily serves at the wall while shouting out. She then keeps hitting the ball harder and faster as it rebounds back to her. Each time she does, she shouts out.

"Wow! She's so good!" Sakuno exclaims.

Ryoma and Momoshiro who were passing by, get closer because of Akia's loud voice.

"Ah. Nee-chan," Ryoma says as he notices Akiko there.

"Hey, Ryoma," Akiko says with a worried smile.

"What ticked her off this time?" Ryoma sighs.

"Long story…" Akiko sighs back.

"Hello, Ryoma-kun…" Sakuno murmurs.

"Akia's pretty darn good! It's the first time I actually see her holding a tennis racket," Momoshiro exclaims, overriding Sakuno's shy voice.

Akia adds a second ball to her rally with the wall. She stops shouting out and seems to be truly concentrating on just hitting the balls with her racket. She doesn't miss a single one. Her simple attire consisting of a white and hot pink t-shit with black shorts made it easier for her to move freely. For once her sports attire fit her perfectly without being too tight, since she bought it back in the states where they had her exact size.

"Momo! Ochibi! Stop randomly wandering off like that! Our next match is going to start soon," a cheerful voice calls out.

"Eiji-senpai! Oh, and Oishi-senpai!" Momoshiro waves at them.

Eiji and Oishi reach Momoshiro and the others.

"What are you guys looking at?" Oishi asks as he looks at the court. "Akia-chan?"

"Woah! I've never seen her play tennis. She's rallying with two balls!" Eiji exclaims.

When Akia hears his voice, her concentration breaks and the two balls hit her in the head, making her fall backwards on the ground.

"Akia-chan!" Eiji exclaims as he rushes to her.

"Akia-nee!" Akiko runs to her as well.

The others also join up. Akia rubs her forehead and gets up with Eiji's help.

"Ow… That did not feel good," Akia mutters.

"Show me," Eiji says with a serious tone, which he almost never uses.

He takes her hand away and looks at her forehead, going in really close. Akia's heartbeat starts beating extremely fast. Her face turns completely red.

"Eiji-senpai! Aren't you a little too close?" Momoshiro teases him.

This causes Eiji to realize how close he actually is, making him jump backwards, starting to actually feel self-conscious around Akia.

"W-Whatever! Let's just go back!" Eiji exclaims, feeling suddenly embarrassed by the situation.

Oishi follows Eiji back while trying to calm him down. Everyone else follows suit as Akiko holds Akia's hand, leading her along.

* * *

 **If you're still reading this story, thank you so much. I will try to update it more regularly from now on. Tell me what you guys think in the reviews!**


	10. Fudoumine

**Finally updated this! I've been so busy XD I hope you guys enjoy!**

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Chapter 10: Fudoumine

All of the Seigaku team is now gathered together, awaiting the announcement of their next opponent. Horio, Mizuno, and Katou then come running to them.

"What's up with them?" Akia asks.

"Ah, we asked them to go check on the game to see who we'll be facing," Momoshiro answers.

Akia pouts while remembering how she walked away from the match because of the girl who pissed her off.

"So, who are we meeting in the finals?" Oishi asks the three freshmen.

"Fudoumine Junior High!" Katou replies.

"Fudoumine Junior High," Kawamura repeats, not believing what he just heard, "the same one that had to withdraw last year?"

"Huh?" The three freshmen exclaim.

"Withdraw?" Akia asks, wanting some clarifications.

"Apparently it was because of an incident involving violence," Fuji answers her with his usual smile.

"How can you smile while saying that?" Akia giggles.

"How can I not smile when answering our cute manager?" Fuji says, with the same expression.

"C-Cute…?" Akia whispers as she feels her face get hotter.

Eiji frowns at the sight and elbows Fuji in his side.

"Ah…!" Fuji interjects at the sudden blow. "I guess someone is not happy about what I said."

"Oi, Fuji!" Eiji screams at him, trying to shut him up.

All Fuji does is chuckle, since he's been aware of Eiji and Akia's feelings towards each other. He knows how annoyed Eiji gets when another guy gets close to Akia, and he just loved to tease him.

Inui then also arrives, holding his tennis notebook.

"I went to scout out Fudoumine's match," he informs everyone.

"Why did that girl only both me then?" Akia grumbles.

"What girl?" Momoshiro asks.

"No one! It makes angry just to think about it…"

Inui explains to everyone how Fudoumine is completely different from last year. He tells them how everyone on the team are new members, except for their captain.

"The key factor of their success is the masterful leadership of their captain Tachibana Kippei," Inui continues, "also, the six unknown second year members beat Kakinoki in straight sets."

After his explanation, everyone becomes silent until Fuji is the one to break that silence.

"The final… doesn't seem like it'll be easy."

"But if it's Seigaku, there should be no problem against a beginner!" Horio interjects. "We'll crush them and win the tournament."

"Hey… Horio-kun…" Mizuno puts his hand on Horio's shoulder and tries to get his attention.

"It's okay, let me talk!" Horio shrugs off Mizuno's hand. "Seigaku can't lose to unseeded, unknown players."

"Hey, listen to me." Mizuno puts his hand once more on Horio's shoulder with a more forceful tone.

Horio shrugs him off again. "What is it? You're being annoying!"

He then turns around to face Mizuno and give him a piece of his mind, only to finally realize why he was trying to get his attention.

"Ah! Fu-Fudoumine…!" Horio whimpers.

The Fudoumine team passes by him, not paying him any attention. The captain of the Fudoumine team then stands in front of Tezuka, facing him.

"Are you Tezuka from Seigaku?" He asks.

"That's right," Tezuka confidently answers.

"I'm captain Tachibana from Fudoumine."

Tachibana then extends his hand to Tezuka. The latter shakes it without hesitation.

"Let's have a good match," Tachibana says.

"Yes," Tezuka responds.

"They don't seem like bad people, at least," Akia whispers to Akiko.

Akiko silently nods at her sister. Fudoumine then goes on their way, with one of them bouncing a ball on the rim of his racket.

"Hmm… The way that guy's being a show-off reminds me of someone," Akia says.

Sure enough, there was Ryoma who was sitting not far from there, pulling off the same technique while drinking his soda. The two of them start staring, almost glaring at each other while still bouncing the ball.

"Echizen is provoking them!" Horio exclaims.

"After playing doubles and sitting out as a substitute, he's got a lot of stress bottled up," Inui says with a grin.

"He's just being his usual arrogant self," Akia chuckles.

Coach Ryuuzaki then rallies the team up to give them a pep talk before the finals.

"Listen, we're going to be facing Fudoumine in the finals," she tells them with an authoritative tone, "and they're nothing like the opponents we've faced until now."

"Yes," they all answer.

"The position for this match have been decided," coach Ryuuzaki announces, "Doubles 2: Fuji and Kawamura. Go get that first win. Doubles 1: Oishi and Kikumaru. Singles 3: Kaidoh. Singles 2: Ryoma. And Singles 1: Tezuka."

Akia then goes to give Ryoma a headlock.

"Finally! You'll show 'em how well I trained you!" Akia exclaims.

"Ow! You didn't train me…" Ryoma says as he tries to escape his sister's hold.

They all then make their way to the court where they will be facing off against Fudoumine.

The doubles 2 match starts off. The two sides rally for a bit and Seigaku manages to get the first point.

"This is troubling…" Akia says to Akiko.

"What do you mean? Seigaku just got the first-" Akiko says before being interrupted by the referee.

"15 all!"

After another back and forth, Fudoumine scores again.

"They're good. Not many teams can hold their own against Fuji-senpai and Kawamura-senpai," Akia says.

Tachibana then gets up and leaves, to everyone's surprise.

"He's the captain right?" Kikumaru says. "Shouldn't stay here to watch his team's matches?"

"Service ace!"

With everyone's attention being averted from the court, they all missed the service ace that the Fudoumine team did.

"What's the name of that guy who just served?" Akia asked her sister.

"If I remember correctly, when the referee announced their names it was Sakurai Masaya and Ishida Tetsu," Akiko answered. "I don't know which one is which, though."

"I'll go ask," Akia says as she goes up to the Fudoumine team.

"Akia-nee…!" Akiko exclaims, surprised by her sister's sudden decision.

"Akia-chan?" Kikumaru mumbles to himself, confused to see her go up to the Fudoumine team.

When Akia gets there, she waves at the Fudoumine team members, who're a bit confused to react.

"Hello," she greets them, "I'm Echizen Akia, Seigaku's manager. Is it alright if I ask you guys some questions?"

"S-Sure!" A tall guy with spiky black hair exclaims and then goes up to her, shaking her hand. "I'll answer anything you ask to the best of my capabilities! My name is Mori Tatsunori, second year."

"What a coincidence! I'm a second year too!" Akia says.

Akiko sighs while overhearing the conversation. She knows how friendly her sister is and how easily she can get along with people she just met, but it still surprises her to this day. She glances at Kikumaru who's glancing in Akia's with a pout on his face. Akiko smiles to herself. Kikumaru must be feeling a little jealous that she's talking so casually with other guys.

"We're actually all second years, except for Tachibana-buchou," a guy in a cap says. "I'm Uchimura Kyousuke, by the way."

"And I'm Kamio Akira," the boy with his bangs covering his eyes introduces himself. "This guy over here is Ibu Shinji."

Kamio points at the only guy who didn't get up to come greet Akia.

"…Why is he introducing me all of a sudden… that's embarrassing…" The one whose name is Ibu Shinji mumbles to himself.

"It's nice to meet you all," Akia says with her most charming smile. "I was actually wondering if I could get to know you all since you guys seem like some really talented players."

"You play tennis?" Mori excitedly asks.

"Well you might even say that I was born with a racket in my hand." Akia playfully gloats. "So who are the two playing right now?"

"Ishida Tetsu is the one with the bandana," Kamio informs her. "He's our power player and our physical trainer. The other one is Sakurai Masaya. He's a specialist when it comes to doubles."

"Man, Seigaku is so lucky to have a cute manager…" Uchimura says in a whiny voice.

"Hey! Ann-chan is more than enough!" Kamio reprimands him.

"Ann-chan?" Akia asks.

Before anyone can say anything, Akia felt a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from the Fudoumine team and back to the Seigaku team.

"E-Eiji-senpai?" Akia stutters, surprised at the sudden contact and action.

"Don't just go off to the other team like that…" Kikumaru mumbles.

He then stands with her behind the benches where Seigaku is sitting, still not letting go of her wrist.

"U-Um… Eiji-senpai… Sorry if I did something that offended you…" Akia whispers, looking down to the ground. "I just wanted to gather information on them…"

"You don't need to do that," Kikumaru says while rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "You just need to stay here with me… us! Your team!"

Akia giggles at how flustered Kikumaru got.

"Are you planning to hold onto my wrist forever?" Akia says with a smile.

"If I let go you might run back to the other team," Kikumaru smirks. "Can't let that happen."

They keep chatting a little while watching the match. The two teams have been rallying the ball for a while now.

Tachibana then comes back to his team.

"He did that on purpose," Ryoma says.

"On purpose? What do you mean?" Mizuno asks.

"It was a good psychological strategy," Inui starts explaining, "the captain leaving during an important match. Fudoumine was given a greater pressure by the absence of their captain."

As if Fuji was waiting for this the whole time, holding out until the captain returns to crush their spirits, he pulls off one of his most advanced and unbelievable technique. He hits the ball back, adding a spin to it that prevents it from bouncing back up once it hits the floor on the opponents' side. Everyone exclaims in awe.

"It didn't bounce!" Sakurai exclaims.

"What was that?" Uchimura says in shock. "The ball just crawled along the ground!"

"That was one of Fuji's three triple counter moves," Tachibana informs them, "called _Tsubame Gaeshi_."

"Tsubame Gaeshi?" The members of the Fudoumine team say, wanting to get an explanation on what it is.

"This counter slice shot utilizes the original spin of the ball, in addition to the spin in the same direction," Tachibana exclaims.

"Fuji-senpai really is amazing, isn't he…" Akia says to Kikumaru who nods.

"I wonder how this match will end," Akiko murmurs.

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed! Don't forget to review if you like it :)**


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